Mission: Acknowledged
by Dark Neko Shinigami
Summary: Chapter four now up!! The war is over... or is it? Duo stumbles into a secret that he wishes he didn't. R-rated for language. R and R Onegai!
1. One

*I don't own Gundam Wing or anthing that is in this fanfic. This is for entertainment purposes only.*  
  
Mission Acknowledged.  
  
  
18:32 p.m.  
  
A lone figure made it's way with deliberate casualness down the crowded isle of the charter bus. " 'Scuse me, this seat taken'?" His voice was slightly husky, yet clear and charming as he halted close to the back of the coach and smiled down to a middle aged female passenger.   
  
"Not at all." Was the half mumbled, half reluctant response as the woman picked up her bag and set it in her lap, allowing the young man to take the isle seat beside her. Immediately, he reclined back and lowered the foot rest, residing himself to a nap as the bus sat in the loading bay.  
  
Thirty minutes later the diesel engines rumbled into life and the signature cautionary beeping as the coach began to back away from the dock stirred the young man. Glancing at his watch, then putting his arms back behind his head, Duo noted that the bus was departing at least 20 minutes late. 'Wonder what the hold up was?' He thought as he chewed his bottom lip in a bored fasion.   
  
Dusk was allready beginning to fall as he began his journey and he noted with agitated awareness that the man behind him was reading a book. He also noted with a frown that the Only person that was on this bus that wanted to use the overhead light, was the man behind him. All he wanted to do at that moment was to catch a quick nap before the exhaustive 20 or so hour bus trip rendered him to tears and this guy was keeping him from it. 'Crap, nowhere else to sit. I hate crowded buses.'   
  
"Hey, buddy. Can ya kill that light? Some people are trying to sleep."  
  
"Why don't you shut up and mind you're own business." Came the curt reply.  
  
Duo turned back forward in his seat with a smile. To the casual observer, the smile was pleasant and warm, and suited his face well. To those who had crossed him in the past, it was something to be feared. Reaching down between his feet, he rumaged through his small black bag, murmuring occasionally. "Ah ha." He beamed as he pulled out a small cylendral object, he then turned around and sat on the seat on his knees, arms crossed over the back of the headrest and smiled warmly to the male passanger behind him that had enough nerve to tell Shinigami to shut up.  
  
"What do you want now, punk?" The man was in his early thirties, heavyset somewhat and reeked offensively.   
  
Duo turned on his charm, smiling his most winning smile, amethyst eyes twinkling. "Could you please turn off your light? I haven't slept in three days and I have a meeting to attend to tomorrow afternoon." He replied honostly, arranging the object so it ran lengthwise with his knuckles, snuggling it into his palm.   
  
"Fuck off ya long haired punk."  
  
"Ok." Shinigami replied, striking out with lightning speed and punching the man in the forehead, right above the bridge of the nose. The punch only took the space of a second and the man slumped immediately, book forgotten. Duo chuckled as he reached up and turned off the light.   
  
"I did ask nice, ya know." He said as turned back in his seat, facing forward. He found a comfortable postition and closed his eyes, slipping the roll of quaters that he had used as an added 'Ompf' to the punch into his pocket. The rumbling of the engines and the swiftly enveloping darkness soon soothed him to sleep and his dreams were light.  
  
14:15 p.m.  
  
Duo stepped off of the bus and placed his sunglasses down lower onto his nose. The bus station was nicer than the last one he had frequented, but not by much. People rushed by him in their own frenzy to get to where they needed to go and several times, he was roughly pushed aside.   
  
Shrugging off the rude nature of the drunken man that had used him as a means of support from falling down, Maxwell lifted up his small duffel bag and headed toward the schedule directory. If he was lucky, he could catch a charter and be in the heart of Mt. Juliet. Looking down at a small scrap of paper that he had scribbled his schedule on in his pristine handwriting, he groaned when he realized that he had at least a two hour wait. "Well. Might as well get something to eat and grab another nap while I'm here." He frowned and walked slowly down the large station.  
  
14:37 p.m.  
  
Eating a hamburger and an order of fries, Duo watched the weary passengers walk past him like so many zombies. He pulled a face as he lifted the bun on his sandwhich and stared down at the meat. "Ugh.. I can cook better than this..." He sat it aside and consentrated on the fries and soft drink instead, wishing fervantly that he was allready where he was headed. He never could wait, but at least he was blessed with abnormal patience. What a weird combination.  
  
15:17 p.m.  
  
Leaning against the phone booths, Duo dug through his pockets and came across the roll of quaters that he had used as an 'Attitude Adjustment' to the man that sat behind him on the bus and opened it. Depositing several into the slot, he dialed a number and waited as a phone rang.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hey, Heero! What's up man?"  
  
A pause, then. "Duo?"  
  
"Yeah! The one and only, man! How are ya?"  
  
"I'm fine, Duo. Yourself?"  
  
"Been a long time, pal. I'm doing as good as I always was."  
  
Heero could actually hear the smile in the ex-Deathscythe pilots voice as his longtime friend prattled on.  
  
"Wait.. where are you Duo?"  
  
"Eh, I'm in the bus station in Cherry valley, on my way to Mt. Juliet to meet with Howard."  
  
"When does your bus leave?"  
  
"Hmm." Duo looked at his watch. " 'Bout an hour or less."  
  
"I'll pick you up."  
  
"You don't have to do that, Heero."  
  
"I said I'll pick you up."  
  
Duo blinked at the dial tone as the ex Wing pilot hung up.  
  
"Yeah... nice talking to you too, buddy." Shinigami sighed as he hung up the receiver and stared at the passerbys.  
  
16:13 p.m.  
  
Heero Yuy entered the busy station and looked around. Bright cobalt eyes surveyed the area as he slipped into soldier mode. His object, Duo Maxwell. He shouldn't be too hard to find. Head lifted and eyes scanning the vast area, he made his way. He couldn't help but notice with a trace of amusement that people still scurried out of his way, whether they knew it or not. Intimidation had always been a key point to his personality. His smile at the thought was haunting as he strolled smoothly along the terminal.  
  
16:17 p.m.   
  
Duo was leaned back in one of the lounge seats, feet propped up, arms behind his head and amethyst eyes closed in slumber. He was unaware of the figure that loomed before him.   
  
Stirring slightly as a hand was placed on his shoulder, he looked up into a familar face. "Heero!" He was up in a moment, enveloping his old friend in a tight embrace. He was mildly amused as it was returned. "How are ya!? Long time no see! Man did you get tall! You're still ugly, but wow! Look at those muscles! What are you now, 6'1, 6'2?"  
  
"Hn. Let's go."   
  
"Sheesh, Heero, don't talk my ear off!" Duo chuckled as he leaned down and lifted his bag. "Hey, I got in touch with Howard, care if we drop by his place?"  
  
"That's what the plan was in the first place."  
  
"What? No mayhem and mischief first? Boy, you sure do know how to treat a guy..."   
  
Heero turned to Duo, supressing a smile. "Never on the first date."  
  
"Ha Ha. I'M the funny guy around here, don't forget that."  
  
"I'll try."   
  
Duo made a face and sputtered softly.  
  
  
~~  
  
  
"Yeah, been a long time, Duo." Howard shuffled busily through the crowded apartment, stopping occasionaly to pick up an important file base, or printed sheet of paper.  
  
"Yeah..." Duo said cautiously, keeping his eye on the older man. "So... what did you call me for? Please tell me that this is just a social call bro..."  
  
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Duo. But you know when you destroyed your Gundam?"  
  
Maxwells eyes narrowed. "Clearly. It was eight years ago. I also destroyed Sandrock and Heavyarms while I was at it. Ancient history. The past. Yesterdays news." He defiantly crossed his arms over his chest and put out his chin.  
  
"Too bad they were'nt the... machines that were to be destroyed."  
  
"You lost me, Howard."  
  
"Heh... " Holding a small disk close to Duo's eyes, Howard explained. "Well.. I hate to say this, well.. I don't hate to say it entirely, but.."  
  
Duo crossed his eyes to focus on the disk. Reaching out and taking it, he set his mouth in a frown. "What the hell are you trying to tell me, Howard? I Don't read minds and I Don't understand bits and bobs of.." He threw his hands out. "Whatever in the hell you're talking about."  
  
Slumping his shoulders, Howard continued. "What you destroyed that day were... doppelgangers... They were equipped for battle, could handle spaceflight and were suited with the weapons that were intended for your Gundams." He gave a rueful chuckle. "When in fact, the Real Gundams were stored into an underground hanger."  
  
"So, what you're trying to tell me is..." Duo began slowly. "Is that the mobile suits that Quatre... RISKED his life to get off that fucking sattelite, were just... doubles?" He finished the last word doubtfully.  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"You son of a bitch. And just how long have you known about this little secret? Huh? Well, for YOUR Information, I HAVE a life, Thank you very much! NoWAY in hell am I going back to piloting these... damn things! NOWAY!"  
  
"Duo.. I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter." Howard looked at the young man almost sadly.  
  
"Oh no? Well Just watch me! I may not pilot a Gundam anymore, but still, somewhere deep inside me, I'm Shinigami. NOONE tells me what I can or can't do." Duo Maxwell turned on his heel and strode to the door as Howard lifted his hand, holding a small black box. He pressed a raised button with his thumb and with a soft sigh, retorted. "I hate being the bad guy here, but you're still a soldier and a damn good pilot. I just can't let you get away. You all are still needed. Just too damn bad that your friends didn't get one of these babies implanted like your's."   
  
As Howard pressed the button, Duo shrieked in genuine pain, holding his head and sinking slowly to his knees. His eyes were clenched shut and he moaned softly for help.  
  
"Don't fight it, Duo!" The look on Howards face held compassion mixed with a stern set to his eyes. "Just relax! If you give in, the pain will go away!"  
  
Rolling onto his side, still clutching at his temples, his fingers twined through his thick hair, Duo pulled his lips back from his teeth in a grimace. "Never... give... in..." He struggled through the white hot agony that was wirelessly transmitted to a signal chip implated, unbeknownst to him until two mintues ago, into his brain.  
  
Biting back a howl of pain, Duo groaned and pulled himself up on his knees, throwing his head back and valiently trying to rise. It seemed that he higher he got up, the worse the pain became. "...HOWARD!" He cried out emotionally, then wimpered thickly in the back of his throat. "Thought... we.. were.. buds..."  
  
"Hey... we still are, Duo. It's just I have to take drastic measures here... you understand... I'm sure you do.."  
  
Duo shook his head rapidly and immediatly regretted it. Closing his eyes and succumbing to the pain, he slowly allowed his world to first go to a blinding white light, then wilt to dark.  
  
"You are one stubborn son of a bitch." Howard mused as he stood over Duo's prone form in the floor. Acting quickly, he stooped and lifted the young Shinigami's form into his arms and carried him haphazardly to the single bed that sat parallel to the wall.  
  
  
"Heero will be suspicious that you've been gone for so long..." Howard rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, gazing down to the young ex-pilot. Nodding softly to himself, he crossed the harried room and pulled open the liquor cabinet, drawing out a bottle of cheap whisky and returning once again to stand by Maxwell's side. "You're gonna hate me in the morning." He said decisivly as he lifted Duo's head and began to force feed him the alcohol. "But at least this will keep Yuy off of my heels."  
  
"Mmpff...." Duo tried to turn his head as he felt the liquid heat begin to burn down his throat. His first thought was that he was being poisoned. More of the horrid liquid began to flow into his mouth and he realized that he Was being poisoned as he slowly gained an iota of conciousness, but this was a familar poison indeed. What the hell was Howard trying to do anyway? Get him drunk? And if so... why? Turning his head, Duo gasped loudly as the amber fluid dribbled down his chin and out of the corners of his mouth.  
  
"Just take it easy, Duo. I know what I'm doing. Just relax."  
  
"...th...the hell..?" Duo coughed as the whisky took the wrong path. It began to burn his air pipe vicsiously and he began to choke harshly. Taking in several gasping breaths, his choking subsided and Howard was allowed to force more of the whisky down Shinigami's throat.  
  
  
~~  
  
  
Heero Yuy's eyes widened as he witnessed Duo stagger dangerously on the narrow steps. The ex-Wing pilot had waited patiently for over two hours for his friend to return, and now, as Maxwell tried to purchase a grip on the rusty railing, he realized that his buddy was smashed.  
  
"Duo!" Heero called in alarm, his feet reacting as Duo began to stumble down the last three steps. He caught the semi-limp form with ease and he placed his arm around Maxwell's shoulders. "Come on.. let's get you home." Heero stated, his monotone well in place.  
  
"Ho...howard..."   
  
Heero's nose wrinkled as a gust of alcohol fumed breath assalted him. "You're drunk." He again stated in his simple, yet effective monotone. He cringed mentally as Duo looked up to him, his eyes momentarily holding a hurt expression before dulling once again.  
  
"mmm...."  
  
Casting his glance up to the apartment window where Duo had visited, he caught the twitch of a curtain being pulled back into place. Cobalt eyes narrowed as he half-carried, half-drug Duo's now unconcious form to the car. Carefully he placed his friend within, making sure to buckle him up. One more glance to the window and he could see that Howard had turned out the light.  
  
"Hn..."  
  
  
~~  
  
  
The desk chair creaked softly as Yuy took his seat before the computer. Reaching over, he flipped on the VidLink and dialed Quatre's number.  
  
Duo lay peacefully on his back in the upstairs bed where Heero had placed him apon arriving home, his hair and clothes in disarray as he slumbered in a drunken comatose state. A few years ago, this had been his norm, barely a morning went by when he didn't wake up, reeking of alcohol and in need of a shower and at least a pot of coffee. He had given that up when he lost Hilde. Well.. actually, he had started drinking when she was killed in an automobile accident. He realized one fateful morning as he staggered and weaved his way to the kitchen that her memory was fading, and he blamed the booze for that.   
  
Moaning softly, he raised his arm and placed it against his forehead in his sleep. "ooo......"  
  
Heero's sharp ears picked up his friends soft groan and he put theVidLink on hold as it dialed. Quatre would have an Id'er on his unit and would know who was calling. Heero also knew that Quatre would wait, without a hold message, for the ex-wing pilot to return to the consol.  
  
Padding softly upstairs, Yuy pondered if maybe he shouldn't have put Duo on the couch. At least his friend wouldn't have the burden of stairs to worry about, then he thought he was best in bed. The couch was too close to the front door and there was no telling what trouble Duo would be into if he awoke, perhaps still drunk, and decided to jet out. "Duo?" He called softly as he entered the small, almost empty room.  
  
Duo sighed heavily and allowed his arm to drop onto the pillow. Other than his deep breathing, that was the only move he made. Nodding, Heero turned back and walked softly downstairs, more than a little disappointed in his friend right now, but also more than willing to hear Duo's side of the story as well.  
  
  
Winner Residence:  
  
  
Quatre lifted his head from a pile of forms that had currently held his attention. A frown creased his brow as he reached up and activated the VidLink, only to be encountered with a blank screen. "Hmm." He stated irritably, then looked at the small readout on the side to see who was prankcalling.  
  
"Heero!" He nearly gasped. Why would Yuy be calling? They haven't spoken in years.  
  
Leaning back in his chair and taking his coffee cup in hand, Quatre waited patiently for Heero to return to his desk. His sipped the hot drink and crossed one leg over his knee, allowing his thoughts to drift.  
  
  
Undisclosed location:  
  
  
Heero sat back down at his desk, once again his chair screeking softly as Yuy's weight was added to it. With a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and reached over to take the Link off of hold. He was soon awarded with Quatre's face on the screen.  
  
"Long time no chat."  
  
"Heero, it's really good to see you, but I'm terribly busy at the moment." The blond Arabian offered a sincere smile of apology. "How about contacting me tomorrow, say around 2:00? We could get together and talk about old times...."  
  
"It's sad how you are trying to avoid us. All of us." He replied cooly.  
  
"I don't understand." Quatre's voice had chilled ten degree's as he gazed at Heero.  
  
"You know what I am talking about, Quatre. After the war ended, you have done everthing within your power to avoid us. You would even go as far as acting as if you never knew who we were, had not your manners prevailed." Heero continued as if Quatre had never spoke. His tone was conversational, almost to the point as if the two were strangers on the street and discussing the weather, or politics.  
  
"That's very rude, Heero and you know it." Quatre almost snapped. He took another long sip of his coffee to futher hold his tongue as he gazed at the face before him. Why was it always so dark in Heero's house? He could pratically see nothing but two glowing cobalt orbs surrounded by the dark sillouette of Heero's face. It was as if Yuy's eyes seemed to burn with an intense blue fire all of their own. Composing himself from sudden anger, Quatre continued;  
  
"You know I have the Winner corporation to run, that and many charities to over see. I am Simply too busy for idle converstation and chit chat. Why don't you try and contact Duo? I'm sure that he would love to spend some quality time with you."   
  
Heero narrowed his eyes, futhering the illusion of fire in them as the ex-Sandrock pilots words took a sharp edge to them.  
  
"You were never one for excuses, Quatre."  
  
"Nor am I making any." He replied curtly, reaching to flip the VidLink off.  
  
"Duo's here."  
  
"Good! Then you won't mind if I go back to work. Like I said, Heero. I'm very busy, but maybe the two of you would like to meet me at Dinelli's around 2:00 tomorrow?"  
  
Heero grunted. He knew Dinelli's. It was an old earth Italian resteraunt. He himself didn't care for the decor, or the atmosphere, but if Quatre was honostly willing to meet him, and in public, he would suffer. Duo one the other hand would most likely have no problem at all with the choices of eateries.  
  
"We'll be there."  
  
Quatre smiled gently. "So will I." He reached up and killed the Link, sighing ruefully and blowing out his breath, which in turn caused his bangs to fly up and out of his face momentarily.  
  
"Damnit, Heero." He stated as he turned back to the large pile of forms and reports. "Why now? Life was good. Busy, yes, but good. Why don't you go jump back in the hole that you crawled out of and leave me alone?"  
  
'Because he's your friend, they're All your friends.' Quatre's subconcious spoke up. Frowning, Winner leaned down and opened the bottom drawer on his desk and pulled out an old bottle of scotch. He poured a healthy dose of it into his coffee and took a sip. It was the only thing he knew that could quell that bothersome voice that haunted him in the back of his head every now and again.  
  
Adding another shot to his now cooling coffee, he replaced the bottle back into the desk drawer and shut the almunium door with a bang. So much for the peaceful afternoon he was planning tomorrow, but in his own way, Heero was right. Quatre had done all in his power and beyond to dis-asscociate from the other Gundam pilots. Once, during the war, they Had been family, but peace had been achieved and the soldiers were no longer needed. Everyone went they're own way and it seemed as though family ties had been broken.  
  
"Just... so much had to be done... with my personal life and all.." Quatre apologized to the empty room. "What do you want from me?" He asked as he leaned over his desk once again to begin to Try to put a dent in the paper work.  
  
  
~~  
  
  
Duo sat up abrubtly on the narrow bed, his hand immediatly going to his aching head. "Ooooh.... where...?" His chest hitched in a sickening hiccup and he covered his mouth quickly. 'I've been.... Drinking?!' His mind whirled. The last thing he remembered was leaning against the phone booths, opening up the roll of quaters he had used as a weapon in his palm to pop that guy... then he had dialed Heero's number. After that.. it was a blur.  
  
"Howard...?" He called out uncertainly, still clutching his head. In all of his drinking years, he had never had a headache where he had one now. His head hurt in an odd place, at the right side, in the area between the temple and ear.  
  
Heero stepped softly into the room, his eyes still seeming to burn from the gloom of the house. "No, Duo... it's me." He responded softly.  
  
"H.. Heero!?" Turning his eyes slowly, Duo allowed a small smile to form on his features. "How.. how did I get here?" He asked, honostly confused.  
  
"I picked you up at the bus station."   
  
"But... I told you on the phone that I needed to speak with Howard..." Duo groaned softly, Howard would probably be pissed, not that he hasn't seen Howard pissed before. It was no big deal, but still, Howie was his friend.  
  
"We allready went."  
  
"Huh? But..."  
  
"You got to Howards place shortly before sunset. I waited for over two hours outside by the car. You came back drunk."   
  
Duo almost laughed. That was as close as Heero Yuy would come to a seething bitch fit, as far as Maxwell was concerned. Heero learned long ago that Duo responded rather well when he was faced with hen pecking and nagging. "Drunk?! I don't drink anymore, Heero!"  
  
"Hn. Dinner's almost ready. I would suggest that you grab a shower and come and eat." He turned his back and began to exit the room, the tone of his voice not one to argue with.  
  
"Yes mom.." Duo said, trying to find cheer in his tone, but only found the horrid aftertaste of whisky in his mouth instead. "Uhg... Hey, Heero! Wanna french?"  
  
Heero turned around abruptly and glared at Duo as the braided youth made a rude gesture with his tongue. Frowning as Duo burst into a semblence of his normal laughter, he noted that Shinigami's tongue was pierced. What some people do to keep up with ridiculous fasion.  
  
"How about if I pull out you're spleen and cram it.."  
  
"Hey, Hey!" Duo interrupted. "Be nice to the hungover wonder!" He reached up again and idly began to massage the tiny ache that still refused to budge on the side of his head. Maybe he fell down and popped himself a good one? Shrugging airily, he climbed slowly, albeit cautiosly from the bed and headed towards the bathroom, grabbing his bag on the way.  
  
Heero smirked as he made his way back to the kitchen, where dinner was simmering. He couldn't remember or not if Duo cared for steamed rice and vegetables with chicken, but it looked as if Shinigami would have no choice in the matter. What he saw was what he got.   
  
Upstairs, the shower began to run and in moments, he could hear the rustle and bustle as Duo began to bathe.   
  
  
Winner residence:  
  
  
Quatre rose slowly and walked to his comfortable, yet tidy kitchen and idly pulled out a tea pot from one of the lower cabinets. Chewing his lower lip as he stared before him in thought, he flipped on the burner and waited for the kettle to boil.  
  
He hugged his arms to his chest, cupping his elbows in his palms and allowed emotions he hadn't felt in so long to overwhelm his heart. 'These are your Friends!' That inner voice began to pester him again. 'They would have died for you just as you would have for them! Doesn't that mean Anything to you? Anything at ALL??'  
  
"Damnit!" Quatre cursed the emotional conflict that was ensuing deep within him. Banging his fist down apon the range of the stove hard enough to make the units clatter, he flipped off the tea and stormed to his music room. Without bothering to flip on the lights, he carefully chose an antique violin with a magony bow and took a seat by a large bay window. Raising the bow, he drew it softly along the strings, mildly pleased with the haunting melody that filled the air around him.  
  
He stayed in the confines of the empty room, playing music to soothe his tormented soul with eerily haunting strains of ghostly, yet tenderly endearing notes, for almost three hours.  
  
  
Undisclosed location:  
  
  
"Where did You learn to cook?" Duo looked at Heero in surprise as he tasted the rice and chicken. Holding chopsticks up to his lips, he grinned brightly at his friend.  
  
"You're not in the floor, drooling and twitching, so don't complain." Heero replied dryly.  
  
"Who's complaining? This is great!" Duo said as he took a bite of green pepper. "Man, I could get used to this!"   
  
"Hn." Heero surpressed a smile and continued to eat.  
  
They ate in silence for a long moment until Heero, never one to let an opportunity pass him by, spoke up. "Not that it is any of my business... but why did you get so drunk?"  
  
Duo ducked his head and looked up to Heero. "Heero." He began softly. "I started drinking at the age of 17, when Hilde.." He swallowed a lump that had formed suddenly in his throat. "When Hilde died. I was at it nonstop. Hell.. sometimes I couldn't get out of bed if I didn't have one hell of a hangover.   
  
I drank to get rid of the memory of loosing someone that I had truly loved. Then, one morning, it was a Wedsnesday," Duo chuckled. "I clearly remember that. I remember dragging my dead ass out of bed and staggering down the hallway... that's when I realized that I WAS forgetting Hilde... but not just her death.. I was forgetting... Her." He looked up to Heero with emphathsis in his eyes. "I was forgetting the good times too.. and, from that day on, I stayed off the sauce... I swear to you when I say this... if I drank... I don't remember it."  
  
"Maybe you were blocking it out."  
  
Duo shook his head and pushed his plate away from him. "That's the thing, Heero. It's funny... the last thing I honostly remember is calling you. I don't remember the conversation we had clearly. Just that I told you.. or I believe I told you that I needed to meet with Howard." He waved a hand casually in the air. "And you told me that I went to his place... but... Heero... something just isn't right."  
  
Heero grunted softly and began to clear the table.  
  
"I've been sober for three years. Just going to Howards pad... that's no reason to start up again..."  
  
"Hn." Heero agreed. Everything in his being was telling him that something wasn't right. He listened.  
  
"You know me, Heero. I don't lie. Never have, never will. No point in it, ya know?" Duo rested his chin in his palms as he watched Heero return to the kitchen table. "Something's up and I wanna know what." 


	2. Two

*I hold no claim to Gundam Wing or to anything in this fanfic. It is written for entertainment purposes only*  
  
Mission Acknowledged.  
  
1.  
  
Howard sighed ruefully as he searched for the misplaced data disk containing the information about the whereabouts of the true Gundams. For a long, panicked moment, he feared the disk was somewhere on Maxwell's person, but after an hour or so of frantic searching, he came across it, hidden beneath a randomly scattered stack of paper.  
  
"Aw man, I really need to do some spring cleaning. This place is worse than a pig stye." He complained as he slipped the disk into his E: drive and activated the password.  
  
  
Dinelli's:  
  
  
"Sooo... Q-chans finally gonna pull his head out of his ass and pretend that we're friends again?" Duo asked, barely restraining the snideness out of the comment. He stood with Heero, waiting on the blond Arab to show up, hands stuffed deep into his pockets and gazing upwards to look about the lobby of the old earth resturaunt. "Gotta hand it to him though, he has good taste when it comes to choices to eat."  
  
"I didn't think you would complain about this place." Heero responded in turn. They had arrived at the rondevoux at least a half and hour early, both seeming to enjoy the tranquil peacefulness of the place. A constent, yet gentle murmur and rumble of patrons voices added a nice touch to the 'Personalble' quality of the place. Heero was mildy pleased, he didn't think he would like such a crowded area.  
  
"I just hope he doesn't stand us up. That would really piss me off."  
  
Heero turned his attention to his American friend and gazed at him blankly for a long moment. Duo in turn favored Heero with a mirror like glance.  
  
"Don't tell me that you honostly think that we're dealing with the same Quatre. I just can't believe that he changed so much." He shrugged his thin shoulders and sighed softly. "Huh.. just to think, maybe... just maybe all that caring and compassion were just a cover... a mask." He shook his head sadly.  
  
"Like your laughter?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nevermind." Heero lifted his head and directed his gaze above Duo's shoulder, indicating another's presence. Duo, blinking, turned as well and spotted the young ex-Sandrock pilot entering the busy building.  
  
"Well, well, well. What do you know? Mr. Perfect made it here all along." Maxwell chuckled. "Hell. Even in here, it's taking him at Least a year to acknowledge us. Damn, I hate prissy people."  
  
Heero cringed vaguely at the edge in Duo's voice, then raised his hand to signal to the blond that they were there.  
  
Quatre sighed heavily as he spotted two familar figures in the corner of Dinelli's. Shaking his head, he waited for a moment, bracing himself with the inevitable meeting of the two. He frowned as Heero raised his hand and waved him over. 'What am I? His damn servant or something?' His fair brow furrowed softly as he set his mouth into a tight line and walked briskly towards the two. A smile never felt so false on his lips as he greeted them.  
  
"Heero, Duo! So... good to see you again... How are you?"  
  
"Just cut the crap Quatre." Duo said cheerfully, plastering on his own false smile and playing it up. He widened it just to show Quatre how the perfessionals did it.  
  
Quatre's false smile dropped like a ton of bricks. "We should have a table waiting for us." His cheer had dropped as well.  
  
"Goody." Duo said, faux cheerful voice set with just the right amount of cheerful sarcasm. "Mmpf!" He added as he felt Heero's elbow jab rudely into his thin ribs. Rubbing them and making a face up to his Japanese friend, they followed the blond into the spacious room and took a booth seat near the back.  
  
"So, Heero, Duo." He nodded to the latter. "What did you want?"  
  
"Hey, don't look at me," Duo said, holding his hands up before reaching over to take a breadstick. "Coming here Wasn't my idea." He gazed deeply into Quatre's eyes before breaking the bread in half pointedly.  
  
"We have to have an appointment to talk to a friend?" Heero asked, taking a sip of water.  
  
Quatre shook his head softly and twiddled a napkin between his fingers. "No.... I suppose not."  
  
"Then why are you on edge that we're here?" Yuy continued.  
  
Sighing, Winner leaned forward. "Heero... Things.... Change. People change. During the war, I would have done anything that you asked. Hell.. I DID anything you asked." He said, referring to the Zero system incident in Sandrock. "And your faith in me.... well... it meant a lot. Soldiers aren't needed anymore, neither are the Gundams."  
  
"I still have faith in you." Came the quiet reply.  
  
"Heero... Please... not now. No more. I'm... Not a warrior anymore. I'm just a guy that has an empire to run." Quatre attempted at a feeble joke.  
  
Duo snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Spare us from the humility." Rising quickly from the table, he clasped Heero's shoulder. "Thanks, Hee-chan, but I think I'm going to jet out and try to find Howard. See you around bud?"  
  
"I'll see you tonight." Heero said, never taking his eyes off of Quatre. He felt the hand squeaze tightly on his shoulder for a moment as Maxwell cast his glance to his blond... friend, then Shinigami disappeared through the crowd and was out the door.  
  
The two former pilots sat in contemplative silence until their order was brought to the table.  
  
~~~  
  
Walking down the lonely street, Maxwell fumed. "Quatre...." He said softly. "You said you'd Never let me down!" He cried out, slamming his fist into the brick wall of a storefront. "Damnit! Why can't you believe you can belong!? You're one of us! Thick and thin, you're one of US!" Duo ignored the strange looks of passerby's as he continued down the sidewalk, head now down, hands stuffed deep into his pockets.  
  
~~~  
  
Heero rose after the silent dinner was finally at an end and put down two twenties.   
  
"That's not necessary.." Quatre said, quickly rising himself.  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Heero..."  
  
"You know where I live. Don't make me have to dig you out from under your rock from now on. It was good seeing you again, Quatre. We shouldn't have to be strangers."  
  
"Heero..." Quatre watched the retreating back of Yuy with a mixture of sadness and nostalgia. "I've missed you..." He whispered.  
  
~~~  
  
Dashing up the steps to the looming apartment building that Howard inhabited, Duo threw open the main door and made his way down the hallway. 'How do I know this is where he lives?' he asked himself as he strode with purpose down the dimly lit hallway and towards 3a. Knocking on the door, Duo realized that a heavy trail of semi-dried blood had trickled down his fist and along his forearm. 'Must'a did that when I punched the wall.' He thought shamedly. 'Howard will have something to put on that.'  
  
He waited as heavy footsteps thumped towards the door, then there was the inevitable silence as the sciencetist obviously gazed through the peep-hole, then the rattle of locks being undone one by one. Finally, the door opened.   
  
"Howie! 'Sup? Uhm... I Know that this is gonna sound weird... but... Heh heh... After last night.. I can't remember a damn thing." Duo said as Howard moved aside for the smaller man to enter.  
  
"Yeah... we got pretty smashed last night."  
  
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about.." Duo said as he stood in the middle of the room. "HOW did I get smashed last night? Hell.... I haven't been lit like that in a long time."   
  
Gazing down, Howard noted the bloody appendage. "Here.. sit down and I'll fix that up. I swear, you kids just don't take care of yourselves like you ought to." The husky familar voice put Duo at ease and the braided man took a seat on the couch, perching on the edge of the cushion. Moments later, the older man returned carrying a small basin and a square tin box. As he began cleaning the injuries, he spoke. "You and I were just catching up on the old times, my friend. One drink led to the other and well... when I woke up this morning... you were gone."  
  
"Oh? But that's so weird... I quit.. OW! drinking, why would I start."  
  
"So long as it doesn't become a habit, I wouldn't worry about it." Howard stated matter of factly as he continued to clean the wound. Duo's knuckles were badly bruised and scraped, but it appeared that he had no fractures and no deep lacerations.  
  
"Yeah... guess so." Maxwell said as he looked about the gloomy room. "Well.. how's it going? How come you never got married?"  
  
"To keep from having kids. My luck, they would turn out like you."  
  
"Ouch!" Duo chuckled at the comment and was rewarded by Howard's smiling face. "Excuse me, but I'M the smart ass around here. Sheesh, I think I'm losing my touch. Everyone thinks they're a comedian now days."  
  
Applying an anti-biotic ointment, Howard grunted softly. So far, so good. Duo remembered nothing from last night, but the older man never counted on Duo's sobriety. 'Damn..' he thought mentally as he gazed up into amethyst eyes. 'Gotta be careful.. heh... just like Duo to pull the rug out from under me. He's always full of surprises.' "Now." He said as he rose. "Whatever you did to that hand, don't do it again." He pondered for a moment. The chip that was implanted into Duo's brain was supposed to affect short term memory until it was activated.  
  
~~~  
  
Heero fumbled momentarily for the key to his home, then slowly opened the door. Locking it behind him, he made his way through the dark livingroom and to the kitchen.   
  
With a heavy sigh, he dropped down on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table and spreading his arms across the back of the couch. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Trying to get to Quatre was the toughest thing he had had to do in a long while, but he would not be the one to give in so easily. Whether or not Quatre was willing to cooperate or not, well, that was his problem. Heero Yuy never gave up on friends. No matter how badly he wanted to kill them at the moment or not.  
  
~~~  
  
Quatre sighed and allowed his keys to drop heavily on the expensive oak table that stood at attention just inside the door in his foyer. He slid his jacket off of his shoulders and hung it up on the brass hook.  
  
The unmistakable cock of a gun, then the cold metal of the barrel pressed against his temple caused the young blond to freeze. Quatre's eyes narrowed, but he remained still, heart beginning to speed up in his chest. "How did you get in?" He asked the shadow.  
  
"We're not going to worry about details at the moment." A soft voice countered.  
  
"What do you want?" Winner asked casually.   
  
"You. I don't want to hurt you, you're needed."  
  
"I see." Quatre slowly slid his left foot back, then twisted his body, bringing his left hand up and twisting the barrel of the gun up and away from his head, bringing his right hand into the midsection of the assailant as he did so. He was rewarded with a muffled grunt as he twisted the weapon away and held it. "Who are you?" He bit angrily, pointing the gun at the huddled form at his feet.  
  
"You'll just have to kill me."   
  
Quatre shrugged. "I wouldn't do that unless necessary. Who sent you and what do you want with me? Did you come here to kidnap me?" He almost laughed. "Or just to rob me and I spoiled your plans when you walked it?"  
  
A young man stepped out of the shadows and Quatre stepped back in horror as Duo looked up at him, face contorted in severe pain, eyes wild.   
  
"Duo!" He cried out half in surprise, half in fear. Suddenly sorry he had stopped by the bar before heading home, he then briefly wondered what would have happened had he been home when Duo came looking for him. "Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Quatre asked, shaking his head.  
  
Duo trembled. "Either kill me, or let's get this show on the road."  
  
Quatre frowned and took a step back, not trusting the speed in which Duo was famed for. "No. You're going to tell me just what the hell is going on over here."  
  
Duo smiled. "I cut your silent alarms. It's just you and me." He straightened up and began to move slowly towards Quatre.  
  
"I don't need alarms, Duo. I think I can handle you by myself." 'I hope I can.' He added silently as he watched Maxwell close the distance between the two.   
  
"Ok. This can be the hard way... I don't care.."  
  
Quatre held his arms out to his sides, ready to either brace or tackle if need be. His aqua eyes were constantly drawn to the painfilled desperation in Duo's. "Duo... is it drugs? Is there something you need to tell me?"  
  
Duo growled and leapt, only to be met halfway into the attack and flung into the wall. "No. Something worse." Pain bolted somewhere deep inside him and he gave a small cry. Pulling himself back up the wall, he once again launched himself at the small Arab, this time as Quatre dodged an attack, Duo countered and sent a series of quick jabs to Winner's ribs.  
  
Quatre grunted and staggered to his right. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the end of Duo's braid and moved behind him, pulling it across his neck as Duo prepared to retaliate. Pulling the hair tight, Quatre growled. "DUO! What do you think you're doing!? What is going on? What do you want?"   
  
Duo gasped as his own hair was used as a weapon against him and he had time to mentally chuckle. Noone has ever done that before. He struggled, reaching behind him to grab purchase on his captor, but Quatre steadied him by giving the braid another hard tug, futher cutting off more of Duo's air.   
  
"Enough!" Quatre's eyes widened as he felt something prick into his left thigh. Looking down, he could see that Duo fished a syringe out of his pocket and into Quatre. "Damnit, Duo!" He yelled, shoving his friend forward and moving away quickly. There was no telling what could be in it. Whatever it was, his leg was feeling incredibly heavy.  
  
"Like I said... I don't want to hurt you... you're needed." Maxwell gasped, rubbing his neck.  
  
"What did you do to me?" Quatre backed out of the foyer and into the main living room.  
  
"Just gonna relax ya man... then we can get on to business."  
  
"Relax me?" Quatre asked in disbelief. "You've..." He shook his head as it too started to feel heavy, much like his leg. "You've drugged me, Duo!"   
  
"Damn right I did." Duo said softly, yet smugly. His voice held an emotionless monotone as he approached the ex-pilot of Sandrock.  
  
'He looks so... dead..' Quatre's mind stammered as he sank slowly to his knees. 'Not at all like he did in the resturant... did something happen along the way from there to here and he snapped?' Betraying him, his eyes slipped closed against his will.  
  
Smiling softly, a small part of him somewhere deep inside knew that the horrible pain that radiated throughout his brain would soon be abated once he had delivered Winner to Howard.  
  
And that was all that mattered in the world to him right now, whether he was truly aware of it or not. 


	3. Three

(Don't own squat)  
  
  
Large blue eyes, eyes the color of a desert sky were half lidded and blank as they fought to open under the strain of the heavy tranq that was shot into their owner. A heavy metallic taste flooded the young blond's mouth as he came to a sort of wakefulness, lying prone on the floor on his chest.   
  
"ooo...." He murmured thickly, trying to lift his head, though it felt to the young Arabian that it weighed at least fifty pounds. Laying his face back down, he thought to himself with a minute bit of clarity that yes, his head did in fact weigh fifty pounds and he was in no condition to be trying to foolishly lift it.  
  
Duo Maxwell sat in a corner. His knees were drawn up to his chest and he hugged them tightly as he rocked, his overly bright amethyst gaze never leaving the fallen Ex-Sandrock pilot laying on the cold floor.  
  
"What have I done? What have I done?" He asked himself over and over, regret prominant in his voice with each aching question.  
  
"You did what you had to do." Howard answered with just the right touch of remorse in his voice as he entered the room. Kneeling beside Winner, he looked over at Duo. "You had to do it.. but don't worry. The drug will be out of his system in no time. And the pain *Did* go away... now didn't it?"  
  
Duo averted his eyes. The attack on Quatre a fuzzy, blurry, nightmarish memory.  
  
"What have you done to me?" Maxwell croaked.  
  
"Like you, I simply did what I had to do, Duo. You have to understand these things. Surely you understand these things."  
  
"You're crazy." Duo hissed. "Out of your mind. Off your rocker. Bats in the belfry! Looney! Whacked! ACK! AAH!" He clutched his head as a searing bolt of pain lanced its way through his head. Biting back a howl of agonized pain, Duo folded in on himself, face buried between his knees, hands laced over the back of his head.  
  
"Kids these days.. never know how to respect an adult." Howard scolded as he pressed the button twice to deactivate the chip inside of Duo's head. He looked at the suddering mass that had taken refuge in the corner and tsked quietly. Beside him, a more alert, yet still prone Quatre remained motionless. "How about you my lad." He asked, gently nudging the ex-Sandrock pilot's elbow. "I sure hope that you can show more manners than young Maxwell here."  
  
'I've got some manners to show you, you pompous, psycho bastard.' Quatre seethed angrily, silently.  
  
  
Undisclosed Location:  
  
  
Heero ran his fingers idly through his wild tangle of bangs as he sat infront of the vidscreen.  
  
"I'm getting too old for this Wufei." He said as an explosive sigh escaped his chest. "And I'm getting to old to chase around old friends who have nothing better to do than galavant and get themselves into trouble."  
  
Wufei's face held a small hint of amusement. "The perfect soldier admits a weakness. Should I be afraid?"   
  
Heero snorted at the retort, then turned his eyes to the left. "I'm not a soldier anymore Wufei. None of us are."  
  
"I know." The asian agreed softly. "And what you told me about Quatre's behavior is really... well, blowing my mind right now. I would have never had guessed that he could be such a cold bastard." He shook his head, long ebony locks dancing sofly past his shoulder. "Would you like for me to try talking to him?"  
  
"Can't."  
  
"Oh? And why's that? Too busy?" Wufei chuckled.  
  
"Missing. And the fact that I haven't seen hide nor hair of Duo for the past three days isn't a good sign either."  
  
Chang shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe Maxwell kidnapped him and is now trying to pull the stick out of his ass?"  
  
Bright cobalt eyes pierced the darkness of the dark room once again. Mission: Bore hole into smart ass Chinese man on Vid-phone. A smirk turned Heero's lips as he fought hard to quell the mental image of Duo straddling Quatre, trying to yank a large stick out of the Arabians rear. The lips quirked again, insinutating a more piercing stare. Mission: Failed.   
  
Both asian men broke into racuas laughter, each having their own visions to dance merrily in their minds.  
  
"You sick bastard." Heero ground out, trying to keep the laughter in and a smile off his face.  
  
"I try!" Wufei beamed as tears of mirth threatened to fall. "Listen, I do need to go, Heero. Do you need me to get on a shuttle and meet you anywhere? Maybe I can be of assistance." He asked, mood softening to a more serious note.  
  
Heero sighed again and sat back in his chair, listening to the familar creeking. "Hai. But I'll let you know when." They both sat in contemplative silence for a long moment, until Yuy added reflectively. "After all, I would hate to interrupt Duo as he's trying to yank that stick out of Winners ass. It might be a harder task than it would seem."  
  
Laughter rang off of both mens walls that night once again.  
  
  
Howards bunker:  
  
  
"How ya feelin'?" Duo asked softly, timidly as he turned his gaze to Quatre, watching the blond pace the room slowly.  
  
"No better, no worse." Winner bit softly, turning his gaze to settle on anything in the small, bare room but Duo.   
  
"Quatre... Gomen." Maxwell rose slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose and approaching his friend. "I don't understand what is going on... I.. I.. I try to think back on kidnapping you.. and all I can remember is this severe pain." He cocked his head and looked pleadingly at Winner.  
  
Quatre sighed softly and rested a small hand on Duo's shoulder. "It looks like Howard is terribly to blame for what has happened, though *Why* he is doing this is beyond me."  
  
"Well.. first chance I get, I'm breaking that bald bastard. Sure, you really pissed me off back at the resturaunt.. and every other time I tried to contact you, but I sure as hell wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Q-man." Duo turned a pointed look to his friend. "I hope you know that.. and I hope you forgive me."  
  
An old, familar smile slowly surfaced on Winners face, his eyes lighting up softly. "Forgiven. Forgotten.. OMPHF!" He exclaimed as Duo glomped him, and he couldn't help but to admit. He sure did miss that glomp.  
  
"Ok, ok!" He laughed softly as Duo reluctantly let him go. "We need a plan, and we need to find out a way to remove that chip in your head."  
  
"Huh? Chip? What chip?" Amethyst eyes regarded the other curiously, before realization dawned on him. "The only memories of abducting you are those of pain... and that would also explain some short term memory loss..." He shook his head. "A *Chip*? But.. when.. How? I... *Guess* I haven't seen Howard in a long time... but.. Is it possible that this thing has been inside of me for a long time?" Duo shuddered. "Ah man... I just hope he hasn't made me do anything else.."  
  
"Then there was the drinking episode the other day when I got here..." Duo trailed off. "I haven't drank in a long while.. but... something doesn't feel right."  
  
"Do you think he forced you to drink then, Duo? To cover up the adverse effects from the chip?" Quatre tilted his head.  
  
"I've turned that thought over a couple of times.. could be a possibility." Duo bit his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Sure hope Heero still has his edge. I wanna get out of here. Something is deadly wrong and it is totally creeping me out over here... can't ya feel it Quatre?"  
  
The young Arabian nodded. "Hai. I feel something dark and formidable is approaching. My Uchuu no kokoro is screaming at me.. and when I tried to *Feel* Howard.. all I felt was Darkness."   
  
"Whoa..." Duo answered softly, extremely thankful that Quatre's forgiving self had kicked in, as he really would have hated to have to give the blond an attitude adjustment in the situation they were in. "Look at it this way.. at least you may have some sort of early warning system that will tell us if we are about to get into serious trouble. Also.. you watch my back, I'll watch yours. Looks like war is breaking out again.. I just hate that it's this close to home.."   
  
"Me too, Duo." Quatre sighed. "Me too."  
  
  
~~~~~~  
  
AN: Oi.. this one is kinda short and sucky. Gomen, Gomen! I blame my muse! It's his fault! Well... anyway, Read and Review Onegai and tell me if it's worth continuing, or if I should just scrap it. ^.~V 


	4. Four

*Don't own Gundam wing, it's all theirs baby, not mine.*  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
Rising from his seat in front of the vid-phone, Wufei brushed back his long, ebony bangs, sighing softly as his overworked mind ran at a full gallop. Winner was missing shortly after Duo had left the resturaunt. Where had Maxwell gone? And judging from the quiet, yet righteous anger that he had left the others in, what frame of mind was he in?   
  
"K'su.. he was never fun when he got a bug up his ass." Chang muttered softly as he walked sock footed through his darkened house. Heading to a small bedroom towards the back, he slipped in quietly, not bothering to turn the light on as he went to the closet and got out a small metal box, opening it reveiled an old antique handgun given to him by Sally last Christmas. If luck would be on his side, he wouldn't have to use it. Frowning at the thought, he holstered the weapon into his shoulder strap and headed out the door. Some days it was good to be a bounty hunter.  
  
~*~  
  
Heading into traffic at an almost auto-pilot like state, Yuy allowed his mind to drift. First of all, he would have to get into Quatre's home, see what kind of shape it was in to ascess what exactly had happened. What if Duo had gone to talk to Winner and they were both ambushed.  
  
"Unlikely." He murmured to himself, for just the thought of jumping two Gundam Pilots wasn't exactly the smartest thing in the world to do. No, He thought to himself, this was as inside of a job as it could get. Which brought his mind back to Howard.   
  
Duo had sworn up and down that he had stopped drinking, yet, when Heero had picked him up, he was drunker than a bicycle. That just absolutely did not make sense.  
  
"Maybe when I'm done at Quatre's, I'll go pay Howard a visit."  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm bored...."  
  
"I *Know* that, Duo, You've chanted that for the past two hours."  
  
"Heh heh.. wanna play a game?"  
  
"No thank you, I'm trying to find us a way out of here." Quatre said softly as he felt along the walls. "I just keep getting the empression that I am in one of those Frankenstein movies.." Giving a small shudder, he went back to the door.   
  
"We need something electrical, Duo."  
  
"Electical? What you got in mind, Quatre?" Stepping close to the smaller Arabian, Duo turned his amethyst gaze to the door, or more so the door knob. "Oh.. I get ya. Set him up, right? He grabs the door and ZAP?"  
  
"Well, if that were the case, we would be locked in here for forever. But your close. If I can get something with just enough juice in it so that when he touches the inside handle, *Then* he would be incapacitated and we could escape."  
  
"And they say blonds couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper sack with a chainsaw." Maxwell chuckled. "BUT, if you ask me, I think two on one were better odds than setting up a trap that could back fire in our faces big time."  
  
"What about your chip, Duo?"   
  
"Give me a big enough adreneline rush and I think I could overcome it."  
  
"You didn't at my home.."  
  
"Yeah.. and I didn't have my freedom to fight for either.. hell, I didn't even know the buggar was *In* there."  
  
"Point taken... well.. we'll need to arm ourselves."  
  
"Right.. and with something that he won't exactly miss when he comes by on his little rounds."  
  
~*~  
  
Pulling out into the night in his mustang, Wufei threw the car into gear roughly, the large custom tires in the back squealing their protest against the rain slick pavement. He had no idea where start looking, so he decided to start simple, go the the Winner residence to see if he could find a clue as to if Duo was there. If there was any chance that he could spot Duo's tradmark breaking and entering, it would be another fellow pilot.  
  
~*~  
  
Walking up the front steps, Heero halted, his body stock still as he allowed his eyes to rove over the front porch. For some reason, after the war, Quatre had decided to tone down his life style, giving up the large mansions in favor for a large lot of land and a quaint victorian style home.  
  
He noted the high tech security system that was still armed, the small red light blinking lazily.  
  
"Lot of good that did you." Heero murmured softly as he climbed up one last step.   
  
Autumn leaves lay dried, scattered across the wooden boards of the old fashioned, wrap around porch. As the wind picked up with a chillful eerieness, the dried husks made haunting sounds across the floorboards. Holding back a small shudder, Yuy approached the door as a flood of lights appeared at the end of the drive. Furrowing his brow, he slipped off to the right, deeper within the shadows as a dark teal vintage mustang rumbled up the drive, the gravels crunching dully under the tires. He wasn't too surprised at the sihoulette that stepped from the muscle machine.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Yuy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I just asked that."  
  
"I know, I'm asking you now."  
  
Snorting softly, Heero stepped up to the entrance of the front steps and waited for his Chinese friend to approach him.  
  
"Great minds think alike, ne?" Wufei asked with a trace hint of a smile.  
  
"Just don't let it go to your head." Heero said blandly, before a chuckle escaped him.  
  
~*~   
  
"What about this table leg?" Duo asked, shaking a small wooden table that stood in the corner, it's only use was for odds and ends to be placed on.  
  
"I don't know, we'll come back to it.. how about one of the metal legs on the bunks?"  
  
"Fine if it's your bunk, I don't want to crash to the floor in the middle of the night."  
  
"Oh ha ha." Quatre snapped dryly as he knelt in the floor to examine them. "Think we could loosen one by the next time Howard comes in?"  
  
"Maybe so... that's my bunk, Quatre."  
  
"Oh, come on Duo.. you wouldn't know you hit the floor until the next morning."  
  
"Yeah right, I would know.. hmm.. " Standing up and looking about, Shinigami's brows narrowed in that devious way of his. "I want something that when I hit him, he's gonna know it five years from now."  
  
"I'm beginning to agree with you." Quatre sighed as he stood, dusting off his knees.  
  
~*~  
  
"The alarm hasn't been tripped from the outside.. whoever got in, knew how to by pass it."  
  
Heero narrowed his eyes in thought. Duo was always good at getting into tight places, almost as if he were a shadow himself.  
  
"What's on your mind, Yuy?" Wufei stepped closer, looking at Heero with his head tilted lightly.  
  
"He went in.." Moving quickly off of the porch, Heero ran along the thick bushes of roses that adorned the porch, kneeling down and duck walking, he examined for any traces of Duo. Following behind, Wufei trained a flashlight to aide his friend.  
  
"Here." After twenty minutes of looking, Heero held up one long whisp of a chestnut strand, beyond his hand lay a tiny hold through the lattice work.  
  
"Think he could get in through there?"  
  
"Hai. He went under the house.. must have come up through a heating vent, if not the main one."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
~*~  
  
"Hello, boys.. time to eat." Howards tone was layed back and calm as he brought in two trays. Snarling softly, Duo crossed the room until he stood by his friend, arms crossed, eyes dancing madly.  
  
"Fuck you." He greeted cheerfully, saluting Howard military style, but with his middle finger.  
  
Shaking his head softly, Howard tsked the youth. "We don't have to be like this, you know. We could be friends."  
  
"Yeah, with friends like you, who needs prostate exams."  
  
Duo's jaw dropped in surprise to Quatre's remark, then a slow grin surfaced on his face as he slung his arm around his shoulders.   
  
"Quatre, my man.. I'm think I'm starting to rub off on you."  
  
"I just don't know about you two. I think that maybe being the nice guy that I am and allowing you two to be together is a bad idea.."  
  
"Don't worry about us, we'll be good." Maxwell's tone was resigned, albeit slightly bitter as Howard turned and left.  
  
"Not." Quatre added softly as the door was shut firmly and locked.  
  
TBC. 


End file.
